Observations
Lead to Questions
Cultivating Keen Observers
Scientific investigations typically begin with observations of something
intriguing or baffling. In turn, observations inspire questions. As you
observe the video clip, create a “What I Observe/What I Wonder”
chart in your science journal. Work through the following categories of
questions to inspire deeper levels of observation:

After
Viewing the Video Clip
Did you guess that the butterflies were shivering? Did you notice how hard
the monarchs were working to warm up their muscles? If you stayed to watch,
a monarch might shiver this way for many hours, with rests in between, and
only move a few meters.Why
Do Monarchs Shiver?
After such observations, scientists have learned that shivering butterflies
are too cold to fly — or even crawl. Butterflies littering the forest
have usually been forced down by strong wind, rain, hail or even snow. At
10,000 feet in elevation, the over-wintering sites are often cold. Temperature
in the sanctuaries can sometimes drop to zero C or even a few degrees below
zero. Monarchs are paralyzed by temperatures this cold!

Try
This! Shivering Simulation
Find a volunteer who's willing to shiver. Ask him to sit on the edge of
his chair and shiver all the muscles in his body at once: arms, legs, feet,
and hands. How many seconds does it take until he can feel his body warming?
How long until he can feel himself getting tired? How long until he begins
to perspire?Why
Stay Off of the Ground?
Challenge Question #9
As you can see, shivering uses energy. Now remember, the monarchs need to
save energy in order to survive the winter and to fly back north in the
spring.

Challenge
Question #9:
“Why do you think butterflies shiver so hard — and spend
so much energy — trying to get off of the ground?”

National
Science Education Standards

Scientists
use different kinds of investigations depending on the questions they
are trying to answer.

The behavior
of individual organisms is influenced by internal cues (such as hunger)
and by external cues (such as a change in the environment).

An organism's
behavior patterns are related to the nature of that organism's environment.

All organisms
must be able to obtain and use resources, grow, reproduce, and maintain
stable internal conditions in a constantly changing external environment.

Regulation
of an organism's internal environment involves sensing the internal
environment and changing physiological activities to keep conditions
within range required to survive.